When news circulates of the deaths of two beloved teenagers, fingers will be pointed from person to person. Romeo and Juliet is a popular and classic tragic tale directed by Shakespeare about two star-crossed lovers who end up committing suicide. Due to the death of the teenagers, Prince Escalus of Verona leaves the audience with the most emphasized quote: "All will be punished." This leaves everyone (from the audience to Prince Escalus himself) wondering who is responsible for the unjust deaths of Romeo and Juliet. Who exactly is responsible for these deaths? With the rivalry between the Capulets and the Montagues and the helping hand of Brother Lawrence, we can already say that these two are already, but not entirely, held responsible for the deaths of Romeo and Juliet. will see that fate is overall to blame. Both families – Montagues and Capulet – are responsible for the deaths of their family members. The feud between these two households is essentially the main reason for the death of Romeo and Juliet. During the prologue, clear evidence of hatred and conflict appears. The fifth sentence of the prologue describes the Montagues and Capulets as having "fatal loins", that is, they can bring about the unfortunate end of their children's lives. The Prologue also states that the death of their children will end the strife between the two families, showing that there must be some sort of connection between the death and the feud (Shakespeare). Since the Prologue is a small preview or thesis of what is to come, it is clear that this rivalry is the cause of the deaths of Romeo and Juliet. The Capulets, however, must take more of the b...... middle of paper ......r Message from Friar Lawrence to Romeo in time. Even Romeo and Brother Lawrence blame fate when Romeo says, “I dare you, stars!” » and Brother Laurent said: “Unfortunate fortune! (Shakespeare). Romeo and Juliet were doomed from the beginning and this idea is constantly reminded to the audience throughout the play. Therefore, fate is mainly responsible for the deaths of Romeo and Juliet. Although the Capulets, the Montagues, and Friar Lawrence are all partly responsible for the deaths of Juliet and her Romeo, they lacked the ability to stop the tragedy. to happen. Prince Escalus has the choice to punish them, however, he must keep in mind that these characters were just small game pieces in the game of Fate. Works Cited Shakespeare, William. Romeo and Juliet. Language of literature. Ed. Arthur N. Applebee. Evanston: McDougal Littell, 2002. Print.